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List of districts of Karnataka
The Indian State of Karnataka is located within 11°30' North and 18°30' North latitudes and 74° East and 78°30' East longitude. It is situated on a tableland where the Western and Eastern Ghat ranges converge into the Nilgiri hill complex, in the western part of the Deccan Peninsular region of India. The State is bounded by Maharastra and Goa States in the north and northwest; the Arabian Sea in the west; Kerala and Tamil Nadu States in the south and the State of Andhra Pradesh in the east. The state covers an area of 191,976 square kilometres (74,122 sq mi), or 5.83% of the total geographical area of India. Geographically, the state is divided into 3 principal regions:the coastal region of Karavali, the hilly Malenadu region comprising the Western Ghats and the Bayaluseeme region comprising the plains of the Deccan plateau. After Indian independence, Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar acceded the princely state of Mysore to India. In 1950, Mysore became an Indian state. Following the long-standing demand of the Ekikarana Movement, Kodagu- and Kannada-speaking regions from the adjoining states of Madras, Hyderabad and Bombay were incorporated into the Mysore state, under the States Reorganization Act of 1956. The thus expanded state was renamed Karnataka, seventeen years later, in 1973. Karnataka is now divided into 30 districts and 4 administrative divisions. Districts are administered by a District collector, and divisions are administered by a Divisional Commissioner. Bangalore is the capital of the state. History that was created during States Reorganisation of 1956.]] Karnataka took its present shape in 1956, when the states of Mysore and Coorg (Kodagu) were merged with the Kannada-speaking districts of the former states of Bombay, Hyderabad, and Madras. Mysore state was made up of ten districts, Bangalore, Kolar, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Hassan, Chikmagalur (Kadur), Shimoga and Chitradurga; Bellary had been transferred from Madras state to Mysore in 1953, when the new state of Andhra Pradesh was created out of Madras' northern districts. Coorg state became a district, Dakshina Kannada (South Kanara) district was transferred from Madras state, North Kanara, Dharwad District, Belgaum District, and Bijapur District from Bombay state, and Bidar, Gulbarga District, and Raichur district from Hyderabad state. In 1989, the Bangalore Rural district was split from Bangalore. In 1997 Bagalkot district was split from Bijapur, Chamrajnagar district was split from Mysore, Gadag district was split from Dharwad, Haveri district was split from Dharwad, Koppal district was split from Raichur, Udupi district was split from Dakshina Kannada, and Davanagere district was created from parts of Chitradurga, Shimoga and Bellary. On June 21, 2007 the Government announced the cabinet approval for the creation of two more districts: Ramanagara District and Chikballapur district. Ramanagara District and Chikballapura District are being formed by the bifurcation of Bangalore Rural District and Kolar Districts respectively. On December 30, 2009, Yadgir district was carved out of Gulbarga district and officially declared the 30th district of Karnataka. Administrative Structure A district of an Indian state is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service. The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner is assisted by a number of officers belonging to the Karnataka Civil Service and other Karnataka state services. A Superintendent of Police (India), usually an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Karnataka Police Service and other Karnataka Police officials. Cities like Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli-Dharwad are headed by a Commissioner of Police holding the rank of Additional Director General of Police(ADGP) or Inspector General of Police (IGP). A Deputy Conservator of Forests, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service is responsible for managing the forests, the environment and wild-life of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Karnataka Forest Service and other Karnataka Forest officials and Karnataka wildlife officials. Sectoral development is looked after by the district head of each development department such as PWD, Health, Education, Agriculture, Animal husbandry, etc. These officers belong to the various state services. Alphabetical listing Clickable map References * Districts